Cats Don't Dance
Cats Don't Dance is a 1997 American animated musical comedy film distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures under their Warner Bros. Family Entertainment label, and the only fully animated feature produced by Turner Feature Animation. This studio was merged during the post-production of Cats Don't Dance into Warner Bros. Animation after the merger of Time Warner with Turner Broadcasting System in 1996. Turner Feature Animation had also produced the animated portions of Turner's The Pagemaster (1994). The film was owned by Warner Bros. Family Entertainment via Warner Animation Group and Turner Entertainment Co. Plot Summary In 1939, Danny, an optimistic young cat, dreams of Hollywood stardom, so he travels from his hometown of Kokomo, Indiana to Hollywood in hopes of starting a career there. After meeting a new friend Pudge, Danny is selected by agent Farley Wink to feature in a film called Li'l Ark Angel that is in production alongside a white cat named Sawyer at Mammoth Pictures. Upon joining fellow animals; Tillie, Cranston, Frances, and T.W., Danny is dismayed on learning how minor his role is and tries to weasel his way into more time in the spotlight. Danny winds up angering Darla Dimple, a popular, extremely spoiled child actress and star of the film, so she assigns her butler Max to intimidate Danny into no longer trying to enlarge his part. Danny learns from the studio's mascot Woolie, that human actors are normally given more important roles than animals; a fact that none of them are very happy with but know they must accept. He longs for the spotlight and tries to make a plan that will encourage humans to provide animal actors with better scenarios, such as by assembling a massive cluster of animals and putting on a musical performance for the humans. Later, Danny is given advice by Darla (while masking her true villainous nature with a sweet one as she always does) through song on how to interest and satisfy audiences. He takes this information to heart and groups the animals for an audition on the Ark in hopes of attracting the humans' attention. However, Darla, fearing that the animals are jeopardizing her spotlight, has Max help her flood the stage, while L.B. Mammoth, the head of Mammoth Pictures., and Flanagan, the film's director, are giving an interview, getting the animals blamed and fired for the collateral damage. The animals are depressed at being barred from acting in Mammoth Pictures. (especially Danny, who was convinced by Darla that she was trying to help the animals). Woolie tells Danny to return to Kokomo. Later that night, everyone was at a diner, upset with Danny for ruining everything for them, while Sawyer was singing a song about Danny trying to keep their dreams alive, thus being in love with Danny for believing in their dreams. Tillie overhears Sawyer singing and suggests Sawyer to follow Danny. After a comment from the bus driver and seeing Pudge wander the streets, Danny comes up with a plan yet again. He secretly invites Sawyer, her friends, and Woolie to the premiere of Lil' Ark Angel. After the screening and a battle with Max that sends him flying away on a Darla Dimple balloon, Danny calls the audience's attention. Upon bringing Sawyer, Woolie, Tillie, Cranston, Pudge, Frances and T.W. backstage to help Danny, the eight animals put on a musical performance that entertains and impresses the viewers. Meanwhile, Darla is trying to sabotage the show by tampering with the set and special effects equipment, but her attempts instead cause her to inadvertently enhance the performance as well as injure herself. At last, she pulls a "Granddaddy of all switches", but instead it sets off an enormous fireworks finale, making the animals' performance a complete success (as well as severing the roof of the theatre) and the viewers applaud and cheer loudly. Furious and fuming at the animals, Darla berates Danny, accidentally confessing to have flooded Mammoth Studios when her voice is amplified over the theater's sound system thanks to a boom mic she had been tangled up with, revealing the truth about the incident to the audience, including L.B. and Flanagan, who are horrified upon seeing Darla for her true colors and realizing the animals were never to blame for the damage. Her secret out and reputation in jeopardy, Darla tries to hide exposing her true colors by smiling, hugging, and kissing Danny, but Pudge pulls a lever, sending Darla down a trapdoor. At last, the animals' demand for larger roles are met and their dreams are fulfilled after so long, and Danny and Sawyer admit their feelings for each other. (Max is also last seen in Paris, France on the balloon, somehow hearing Darla's last anguished shout for him as he replies "Oui, Miss Dimple?") A montage of film poster parodies which put the main animals in the roles of each character (ending with a Free Willy parody) precede the credits. It is shown afterwards that Darla is fired from show business, loses everything: Her mansion, her reputation, etc., and her punishment is to work as a janitor. She puts up a "The End" poster on a wall, and it falls down and wraps around her. Category:Movie Category:Warner Bros. Animation